Main menu

Secondary menu

Search

Follow Us

News

You are here

SEIA is the solar energy industry’s go-to source for the latest coverage on solar power, including U.S. and international policy, research and polls, business and financing trends, and more. Our staff strives to support the media covering solar energy issues and guide our members on effective media outreach with clear statements, background materials, news and multimedia resources.

SEIA is committed to informing policymakers, the media, and the American public about the benefits of solar energy for today’s communities, our economy, and our country.

First Solar Inc. and SunPower Corp., the two largest U.S. solar-panel manufacturers, are planning a joint venture that will own and operate some of their projects. The companies expect to register for an initial public offering for the new venture, according to a statement Monday. They didn’t say when that may occur or how much they would seek to raise through the IPO. The shares surged in after-hours trading.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Calling it “unfair to families, businesses and churches,” the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) is urging West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin to veto HB 2201, which could jeopardize the future of rooftop solar in the state by rewriting West Virginia’s net-metering policies. Rhone Resch, SEIA president and CEO, said the legislation needs to be revised before becoming law:

A new report from Duke University, The Solar Economy: Widespread Benefits for North Carolina, found that public policies such as North Carolina’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard and Investment Tax Credit have made North Carolina first in the south and fourth in the nation for installed solar investment, creating jobs and boosting the economy across the state.

Pages

In a move toward clarifying the tax code, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced that clarification of sales tax treatment for solar energy will be included in his budget proposal being sent to the state legislature. After reviewing the proposal, Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), issued the following statement:

WASHINGTON, DC - As expected, the U.S. International Trade Commission today upheld the imposition of tariffs against Chinese and Taiwanese solar products, as part of a 2014 investigation into allegations of unfair trade practices. After the decision was announced, Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) released the following statement:

Citing its continued growth, President Obama once again has singled out solar energy in his annual State of the Union speech. Afterward, Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), released the following statement:

Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the national trade association of the U.S. solar energy industry, announced today that sPower, a leading renewable energy provider, has joined SEIA's board. Ryan Creamer, sPower's CEO, will serve as a director. Creamer has more than 20 years’ experience successfully pioneering the energy sector.

WASHINGTON, DC - Growing at an annual rate of more than 20 percent – far outpacing the growth of the overall U.S. economy, a new report released today shows that the U.S. solar industry added more than 31,000 jobs in 2014, bringing total employment in the sector to 173,807 workers. The results were released by The Solar Foundation (TSF), a widely-respected, non-profit organization.

Pages

If you’re planning to visit First Solar's Perrysburg, Ohio manufacturing plant and snoop into its dark corners, forget about it. There are no dark corners. It may be the brightest factory you’ve ever visited.

The clean, efficient manufacturing space was recently upgraded with LED lighting and the result would humble any automobile showroom.

The 100 MW Redstone Solar Thermal Power Project in South Africa, owned by a SolarReserve led consortium with ACWA Power, has been nominated ‘preferred bidder’ by the Department of Energy (DOE).

The Redstone Solar Thermal Power project was awarded preferred bidder in round 3.5 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP), with the lowest tariff bid to date from any CSP project in the country.

Scatec Solar ASA (‘SSO’), the integrated independent solar power producer, has entered into financing agreements totalling USD 157 million for construction of a 104 MW(dc) Red Hills solar power plant in Utah. When complete, the Red Hills solar project will be Scatec Solar’s largest developed and constructed project in North America.

First Wind Holdings Inc., the renewable-energy developer being acquired by SunEdison Inc. (SUNE), received approval to sell power from five proposed solar projects in Idaho. The projects in southern Idaho’s Ada, Elmore, Owyhee and Power counties are expected to be complete in 2016, Boston-based First Wind said today in a statement. They will have 20 megawatts of capacity each and have 20-year contracts to deliver electricity to Idaho Power Co.

Canadian Solar Inc., one of the world's largest solar power companies, today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Canadian Solar Solutions Inc., completed the sale of SparkleLight, a 10 megawatt (MW) AC solar power plant to a subsidiary of BluEarth Renewables Inc. SparkleLight, located in Beavertown, Ontario, is the third of four planned solar power plants being acquired by BluEarth from Canadian Solar. The facility is valued at approximately C$66 million (USD$57 million) and uses Canadian Solar's CS6X-300/305P modules made in Canada.

Pages

In China, 2013 is the year of the snake. But here in the United States, this may well go down as the year of the sun. A recent market analysis by GTM Research shows the U.S. market installed 832 megawatts (MW) of new photovoltaic (PV) installations in the second quarter of this year – a whopping 15 percent increase over the first three months of 2013.

An industry proposal aimed at ending a long-running solar trade dispute between the United States and China is gaining support among key lawmakers at both the state and federal levels, including the chairmen of the U.S. Senate Finance and Budget committees.

At a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East – coupled with rising gasoline prices across the United States – there is finally some good news on the energy front. America’s solar energy industry is currently on pace to achieve a record-shattering year.

President Obama’s recent decision to install solar panels atop the White House is just the latest example of his strong commitment to U.S. leadership in solar energy and the jobs it will create here at home.
The member companies of the Solar Energy Industries Association strongly share that commitment. Covering every aspect of the solar pipeline, they employ more than 120,000 Americans – providing savings for homeowners, power for our military and a cleaner world for future generations.

All across the United States, rooftop solar panels are popping up on homes, businesses and schools like mushrooms in a forest, and utility-scale solar projects are bringing huge amounts of clean energy into our communities. Why? Well, among other things, consumer choice in America is something that we all hold very sacred.

The U.S. solar industry is booming. "U.S. [Residential] Installation Frequency Hits One Every Four Minutes," according to a recent article in PV-tech.org. That puts the US residential solar industry on track to install 128,000 systems in 2013, according to GTM Research (Q213). We have come a long way since 2007 when I sold the first residential solar power purchase agreement to a homeowner in Redwood City, CA.

When the U.S. Department of Energy held its first Solar Decathlon on the National Mall in 2002, Americans were growing nervous about energy issues for the first time in decades. Natural gas prices had skyrocketed, California had just recovered from rolling blackouts, and the events of 9/11 and our continued dependence on foreign energy sources were at the foreground in our minds.

Every day, I talk to groups and reporters about the amazing growth of solar all across the United States. But for the past week, there has been more buzz than ever about America’s solar industry because of the decision by President Obama to install solar panels on the White House.